Self-Host Mealie: Ditch Recipe App Ads and Take Control of Your Kitchen
Mealie is an open-source, self-hosted recipe app that helps you manage all of your favorite recipes in one place. If you’re tired of the endless ads on Xiachufang (下厨房) or Douguo (豆果美食) and want full ownership of your personal recipe collection, Mealie is the perfect replacement — your data stays on your own server, under your control.
Core Features
- Web recipe import with automatic parsing
- Manual recipe creation via a Markdown editor
- Automatic ingredient categorization
- Meal planning
- Shopping lists
- Multi-user support
- Mobile-friendly interface
Docker Deployment
Initial Setup
- Visit
http://localhost:9925 - Create an admin account
- Set
ALLOW_SIGNUP=falseto disable public registration
Adding Recipes
Method 1: Web Import
- Copy a recipe URL from Xiachufang
- Paste it into Mealie
- Ingredients, steps, and cooking times are parsed automatically
Method 2: Manual Creation
- Markdown editor
- Ingredient autocomplete support
- Numbered steps
Handy Features
- Meal planning: weekly and daily plans
- Shopping lists: auto-generated from your meal plan
- Tag categories: Chinese, Western, Sichuan, and more
- Print optimization: one recipe per page
Recommended Practices
- Save all of your everyday recipes
- Create a shared family account
- Plan the coming week’s meals on Sunday
- Track ingredients by shelf life